South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1887-08-19
FALL OF THE ALAMO.
An Eye Witness Tells The Story
of Bloody Fight.
The Memorable Struggle For
Texan independence Recalled.

| death. Not Que had the Alamo.
In this terse and expressive way some
southern writer conclude graphic ac-
count of one the most thrilling episodesin
| American history-the siege Of the Ala
mo.
Colonel r. L. Crompton, of Roxbury,
Mass, is probably the only living
! American who was an only living eye
witness Of that fearful struggle, and
from him were obtained the facts on
which this article is founded. He left
his Massachusetts home in the winter of
| 1884, TO hunt fortune In the west lie
started for Lexington, Kentucky, but
fell in with band bound for Texas to
| join Colonel Travis, then near San An
tonic de Bexar. He decided to cast his
lot in the struggle for Texan independ-
ence. The party was made up largely
of young and fiery Kentuckians and
Tennesseans, some of them hardly more
than boys. Many exciting incidents
marked their journey, but they finally
reached the great Lone Star state
Young Crompton at once enlisted under
Colonel Milan.
| ''As soon rs we had gathered suffi-
Gent strength" he said, in telling the
rest of the story, 1--WE attacked the Mex
lean forces in San Antonio. They far
outnumbered us and desperate struggle
cnsued. For days we fought in the
streets and among the adobe houses, each
one of which was miniature fortress.
| With picks and spades we dug our way
through the walls from house to house.
The fight for the Vereminda house was
fierce and bloody, but at last we drove
the Mexicans out and took possession.
"Our triumph was soon turned to
mourning. On that very day, Milan,
our beloved leader, fell dead, shot by a
Mexican who lay behind wall on the
opposite side of the San Attonio river.
We did not retain the house long, as the
advance of Santa Anna compelled us to
withdraw, leaving Travis with less than
80 men to garrison the place.
II shall never forget the day when
! young Maverick dashed into our camp
with the news that Travis, refusing to
retreat, was shut up in the Alamo and
surrounded by an overwhelming force.
| While Houston was so weak he could
not come to the rescue
| Il started off to join the impris oncd
band. 1t was n hopeless undertaking. rs
/ soon found when | got bullet in me.
crawled away in the darkness. A
Mexican whom / had befriended during
our occupation of the city generously
| agreed to conceal me in his house. A
narrow window commanded an excellent
view of one front of the Alamo wall.
and from this point / could see nearly
all OF that memorable struggle.
''Day after day the Mexican fire was
kept up, and time after time were their
storming columns hurled, against the old
church wall, which formed the Texan
rampant. But nothing could disturb the
| defenders. At the close of each day the
Lone Star flag floated as proudly and.
| apparently, as securely as ever from the
roof of the mission. The Mexican losses
were fearful. Their clumsy cscopetas
were no match for the long Hawkins's
rifles. Hundreds fell every day, but
they were little missed from that over
whelming host, while every man of the
| garrison who died was an irreparable
loss. The line along the wall grew very
thin. Still there was no thought of sur
render. At length, when death and
wounds had reduced the poor handful to
half its original numbers, the Mexicans
effected a Judgment on an undcfended
part of the wall. Instantly they poured
in by hundreds.
Although there was now no hope of
success the brave Texans fought rs stead
lily and as firmly as on the first day of
the siege. From room to room went
the fight. The puny Mcxicans learned
by bitter experience the deadly power OF
bowie knives and dubbed rifles in the
hands of desperate Americans. But
human endurance has its limits. At
| length Santa Anna was master of the
! Alamo, but not until the last American
/ lay cold in death. From my window I
could hear the shouts and yells and sec
the struggling figures.
"When all was over / begged nv host
TO go into the Alamo and bring me
news Of all that had occurred. He came
back in an hour or two, and said that
such n shambles never had been seen
before. The dead were heaped in wild
confusion throughout the building. The
! cutters fairly ran with blood. In rsom
on the ground floor was the corpse of
Col. Bowie. lie had been butchcred
upon hrs sick bed. Not far from him
was found the brave and eccentric Davy
Crockett But the most impressive sight
was in small room in the upper story.
where the gallant Travis lay, bullet
hole in his forehead Strewn around
him were the corpses Of fifteen Mcxicans,
who had died 10y his hand OF the Tex
ans not ono survived, but they did not
I die unavcnged. Not less than 1900